Speak Up: Delaware reports COVID-related deaths

Thirty-five COVID-19-related deaths were reported to the Delaware Division of Public Health since Dec. 29, 2021, the agency announced last week. DPH said the delay in announcing the 35 new deaths was due to the large number of COVID-19 test results and positive cases reported over the past 10 days and the need for epidemiology staff to focus on processing that data.

• How many are hospitalized due to COVID, compared to those hospitalized for something else and happen to have COVID? — Jack Jordan

• Keep pumping the fear. How many hospitalizations are people with COVID, not for COVID? Deaths were from COVID or an afterthought resulting from a COVID test? Tell people about all of the available options to treat COVID, instead of trying to steer them with fear. — Todd Yates

• Or you could try learning the facts instead of your opinions. For example, explain what exactly would be the difference between “with COVID” and “from COVID.” — Benjamin Black

• And of those deaths, what were the prior underlying conditions?! — Howard Gaines III

• How many were with COVID versus from COVID? There is a difference. The politicians will give only the information needed to continue stoking flames of fear and keep us divided. — Lezlie Eustis

• From the article: “Of the 44 new deaths, 35 were unvaccinated (79.5%), and nine were fully vaccinated.” Maybe one of your reporters could investigate what exactly does unvaccinated mean? Does it mean the person had never had a COVID shot; does it mean the person had only one shot; does it mean the person had two shots but no booster; does it mean the person had two shots but not enough time had passed for the vaccine to take effect, so they were counted as unvaxxed? Complete and honest reporting would be nice, so we can be accurately informed. — Michelle Sylvia LaBelle

• From which variant? Were these patients initially admitted for COVID? I don’t believe a word, any of the media, hospitals, government, no one. — Margaret Mclaughlin

• Seems like people have their “talking points.” — Dale Bert

• I wish we had more testing available! — Joan Glover-Wire

Response to commentary against convention of states

“In this environment, it may be tempting to look for radical solutions, such as the Article 5 constitutional convention idea being pushed by the Convention of States Project. While the idea of a ‘convention of states’ invokes a fantasy of participatory democracy, the reality is far different. The campaign is fueled by a political agenda that aims to destroy the power of the federal government to serve the interests of the American people and impose an extreme agenda out of sync with what the general public actually supports.”

• Unfortunately, “curtailing the power of big money” can’t be done at this point by legislation alone because the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down attempts to solve the big money problem legislatively. A constitutional amendment is needed, either one proposed by Congress or by a convention of the states. — Kim Wells